A Girl Called Isis
by Queensbaby
Summary: When Ishizu is hit by a car, everyone is relieved when she wakes up... until she opens her mouth and introduces herself as Isis, a name she hasn’t used since she was 16. Will Seto still love her when he finds out how the innocent Isis became his Ishizu?
1. For She who Loves Ice Cream

**_Hey guys! I'm back after a long hiatus to bring you more SetoxIsis. One thing about this, I've learned that although I'm used to the names in the American Dub, I prefer the names Malik and Rishid better (they fit better than the Americaa ones) so I'll be using those names instead. Everything else should be explained within the text. Hope to get your support! Enjoy!_**

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Chapter 1: For She who Loves Ice Cream

Ice Cream.

If not for ice cream, nothing would have ever happened. Or at least, that's what Seto Kaiba would always convince himself of.

Normally the stone faced teenager had no taste for sweets, but ordering Rowland to buy Ishizu an ice cream cone from the vendor seemed like the right thing to do in the situation. Being as to how he'd never been on a date before, and had never watched any movies with a dating couple in it, or read anything about what dating couples did on said dates, he was playing by ear. Still, even the word "date" sounded weird to him.

In truth, it really wasn't a date. Being as to how dates are occasions where two people plan to spend time together as a couple doing things such as going somewhere to entertain themselves like a movie or a park, and usually also entailing the consumption food; this outing to kill time until Seto's delayed jet fueled and could return the couple back to Japan, could not really be considered a "date".

Seto Kaiba and Ishizu Ishtar had become a couple without dating. Often they could communicate without need for any pointless words. With a look they could communicate so much. And just like that, without a word between them, Ishizu had agreed to be his woman.

Then Ishizu went back home to Egypt. Seto went to oversee Kaibaland in America. He thought of her often while she was away, but didn't dare call her. There was no point if he had nothing worth saying. Neither of them were the type to just call and say "I love you" or "I miss you". Those were a given, there was no need.

Ishizu finished her work in Egypt and came to America where they immediately began a life. She moved in with Kaiba and worked as a museum consultant for their Ancient Egyptian exhibits, while he oversaw the western branch of Kaiba Corp and Kaibaland. In time though, the time came for Kaiba to return to Japan and Ishizu would be coming with him.

Kaiba and Ishizu sat together on a bench, watching as happy families and young adults ran past. Normally, Kaiba would have stayed inside the administration building rather than amongst the people paying to be in his lovely amusement park and lower level employees, but Ishizu looked as though she would suffocate surrounded by anymore white walls.

When the 18-year old CEO caught his 20-year old girlfriend eying a small boys ice cream cone with a hint of intrigue, he found himself ordering Rowland to buy one for her. A small mountain of chocolate vanilla swirl was presented shortly after. Ishizu eyed it curiously, looking back and forth between it and the young man who ordered it for her.

"What?" Kaiba looked at her sideways. "It shouldn't be poison."

"Thank you, Seto. You're very thoughtful." Ishizu replied unshaken. She bowed her head slightly as a sign of her thanks.

"Whatever." He said looking back at some other young kids with ice cream. They looked so happy with them. Kaiba couldn't relate to that feeling. Ice cream did nothing to soothe him as a kid, at least, when he was able to get it. He stole a glance at Ishizu, who was eating with a pleasantly surprised expression.

"I've never eaten ice cream before. It's quite good." She answered, noticing his look. Regardless of his guffaw, Ishizu happily finished the ice cream until she saw the large black helicopter land on top of the administration building in the distance.

Silently the couple stood and straightened out their clothes. Kaiba wrapped a lean arm around her waist and they were off. Ishizu had no qualms with being led by the waist. It seemed to be a habit of his. Kaiba tended to keep the things that "belonged" to him very close if he could help it. Mokuba might need to pull away, but Ishizu had no such desire.

Kaiba maneuvered himself and Ishizu through the crowds and stands with ease. All around them, young couples clad in shorts and t-shirts enjoyed their day in the park; eating, riding rides, playing games, watching shows, and much more. This young couple's hour in the park however, had come to an end. Ishizu had enjoyed sitting on the bench with her boyfriend and the ice cream. It was enough.

Together they approached the administration building, where Rowland swiped a card allowing them access inside. Once inside, they headed straight for the elevator, going all the way up to the roof. The calm hum of the elevator relaxed them for a while before it reached the roof and the doors opened. On the roof, the wind was a bit stronger, but it felt nice, the weather being as hot as it was.

In the time it took to reach the building and get to the roof, the jet had nearly finished gassing up. The pilot held out a helpful hand and eased Ishizu up the steps into the jet. Kaiba followed closely behind, making sure the pilot didn't try anything with his woman. Once inside, the pilot tipped his hat and left the two alone.

Ishizu took her favorite seat in the second row on the left. Normally, Kaiba would sit across the aisle, but decided to sit next to her instead.

"Seto, could you pass me my book. Its in the pocket right in front of you." She asked, pointing to the back of the seat in front of him. Kaiba grunted as he leaned forward to grab the book from its pocket.

Instead of giving it to her, Kaiba opened the book for himself and started to read. Ishizu looked over at him somewhat contemptuously. Not a day went by when she forgot how big of a jerk he could be when he wanted to be, but for some odd reason she still loved him. Kaiba loved her too. Usually he disliked women in general, but the fact that she didn't try to be cutesy and her mood stayed pretty constant, helped him to adjust to her and eventually grow to love her.

Kaiba felt a hand rest on his thigh, followed by the weight of her head against his shoulder. He leaned towards her a bit so she wouldn't have to lean so far to see the book. Once they were adjusted, he rested his chin slightly atop her head, and together they read.

They had nearly finished the first chapter of the book when the familiar sound of the engine starting up sounded, alerting them that they had finished gassing and the pilot was ready to go.

"Mr. Kaiba, Miss Ishtar, we'll be lifting off momentarily. Please be advised." The pilot's voice drummed over the intercom. Kaiba and Ishizu buckled themselves in and resumed their previous positions.

As the jet took off, Ishizu gazed out the window, enjoying the view. Kaiba continued to read the book grumpily without her. He had little interest in looking at the view. To him, there was nothing special about the shrinking Los Angeles skyline.

"This book sucks." Kaiba commented, his gaze never leaving the pages. "How do you read this garbage?"

"It's not that bad."

"The woman in this story is incredibly annoying."

"Well she's not perfect, no, but then again no one is."

"I'm only in the second chapter and I want to beat the shit out of her." He tossed the book in her lap and leaned more heavily on top of her head. Ishizu seemed not to mind.

"No woman is ever good enough for you Seto." Ishizu picked up her book and resumed reading from where she left off. Kaiba grunted in response but said nothing.

About two hours in, Ishizu's eyes felt strained from reading, so she put the book down. Kaiba appeared to be sleeping on her. She could feel his shallow breath on her forehead and smiled. She didn't want to wake him up, but she had to.

Ishizu gently nudged him awake, much to Kaiba's dismay.

"What?"

"You should go lay down." She said, sitting upright. Kaiba grumbled in annoyance. "You're going to be sore if you fall asleep like this for too long."

"You coming?" Kaiba stood.

"I suppose so, why? Can't you fall asleep without me?" Ishizu smirked.

"Whatever." Kaiba brushed her off and walked towards the back of the jet. Near the back, the walls closed off into a small hallway before opening up again into a small kitchenette area. Within the hallway were two doors. On one side was a door leading to the bathroom. On the other, a small bedroom.

Kaiba shuffled in to the bedroom, not waiting to see if Ishizu would follow. She watched him for a while before placing her book back in the pocket Kaiba had previously retrieved it from. Then, she walked to the bedroom as well.

The room wasn't very big, just big enough to comfortably hold the queen sized bed and a bolted down mini-fridge. By the time Ishizu walked in, Kaiba had already taken off his coat and shoes. She helped by hanging his coat on one of the hooks on the door and placing his shoes at the side of the bed while he fumbled with his belt.

Kaiba was obviously tired and annoyed because no matter how much he tugged at it, the belt wouldn't loosen. Ishizu noticed his pathetic display and took over, undoing the belt for him. While she did that, he took the opportunity to take off the black undershirt he was wearing.

"Don't worry about it." Kaiba waved Ishizu away from unfastening his pants as well.

"You're leaving them on?"

"Yeah." Kaiba walked around to his side of the bed and lay down. Ishizu shrugged it off and began taking off her own clothes. She sat down on the bed and carefully slipped off most of her heavy gold jewelry first, then placed them into her slippers. Finally she untied the knot behind her neck, holding up the top of her halter style dress. She unzipped the rest and stepped out. Free of the long, black, mostly cotton dress, she was left only in a strapless slip and her underwear, which was comfortable enough.

She lay down beside Kaiba on the bed and rested her eyes, strained from reading. Her boyfriend was already passed out again, breathing lightly against the pillow. She had hoped that Kaiba might've stayed awake long enough to enjoy her state of undress, but she couldn't blame him for being tired. Besides, they still had a long ways before they reached Japan.

Still, to Ishizu, it seemed such a waste. She turned over on to her side and look at the sleeping teen. Beneath that thick layer of arrogance, he was a very sweet boy. Well maybe sweet wasn't the right word, but he was handsome either way. Ishizu ran a finger down his chest stopping to play with his belly button, then tracing the outline of his pelvic bone.

She allowed her hand to linger there for a while, but closed her eyes and forced herself to think of something other than her encroaching desire. The image of the ice cream Kaiba had given her previously popped into her head. She'd really enjoyed it.

With thoughts of ice cream and when she could get more of it back in Japan, Ishizu managed to lull her self to sleep.

Seto awoke hours later to the feeling of turbulance. He looked at his watch when he saw how dark it was. He'd already slept for eight hours. Kaiba hadn't realized how tired he was until then. He took the chance to look down at Ishizu, who was still sleeping. He couldn't help but notice how alluring she was in that state.

He decided to be good and not take advantage of the situation. Instead, he took his laptop and went back to his seat to do some work. It wasn't long before they hit more turbulance and Ishizu woke up as well.

"Don't get dressed yet." Kaiba ordered from his seat.

"Why not?" Ishizu answered from the bedroom.

"Because, I'll be there in a second." Kaiba hurried to finish up what he was doing at a good spot.

"I understand." Ishizu said, walking to the kitchen. "But let me eat first."

Kaiba didn't let his woman eat very much before he was pulling her back into the bedroom for some overdue "personal time".

By the time the two landed in Japan, Ishizu, having had all her other needs met, was preoccupied with one thing and one thing only. Ice cream. She really really wanted to have another taste of it. She'd already asked Kaiba about it on the jet, but now that they were on the ground, she felt compelled to reiterate.

Kaiba and Ishizu walked off the jet and into a waiting limosine. Rowland, who had been in the cockpit with the pilot for the flight, held the door open for them, then sat in the front with the driver.

"Seto, can we pick up ice cream on the way?"

"Maybe later. I just want to get home and walk around first."

"Well when we get there, couldn't we walk to go buy some?"

"How old are you, four?"

"There's no need to react that way, Seto, it's a question."

"You're begging for ice cream like a child."

"Well excuse me if I'm coming across as childish. That being said, I'd like to try it with all chocolate this time. What other kinds of flavors are there?"

Kaiba glared at her angrily, to which Ishizu humphed in contempt. She didn't think she was asking too much nor did she think she was being childish. Then again, she had little exposure to children outside of Marik, and they didn't grow up like normal children, so she wouldn't know if asking for ice cream was a childish thing or not.

The limo passed through the familiar streets of Domino; the library, the museum, the gaming centers, the city streets, and then on into the suburban areas, then the more remote areas, until the familiar clearing leading to the Kaiba mansion.

Ishizu hadn't spent very much time at the Kaiba mansion before she left for Egypt. It was still a very impressive place. She might've been even more impressed had she not had ice cream on the brain. However, due to Kaiba calling her behavior childlike, she decided to stop asking about it.

The gates opened, allowing them on the grounds. Kaiba looked over at Ishizu, who was scanning the carefully sculpted land. He would never understand her preoccupation with looking at buildings and trees and grass. In his mind, they were things not worth paying much attention to. They didn't change or anything. A tree is a tree is a tree and grass is grass.

Still the mysterious air she gave off while she was gazing off was something he'd grown accustomed to and had learned to love about her. She was elegant and mysterious and feminine rather than cute or girly. Cute, girly things made him want to stab himself in the face with blunt objects.

The limo stopped right in front of the main doors and Rowland got out to open the door for them. Kaiba stepped out first, then offered up his hand to Ishizu, who took it graciously as she stepped out. Kaiba took her by the waist and walked her to the open door.

After the servants of the house greeted them and Kaiba got comfortable he retreated to his office upstairs leaving Ishizu to sort out her things in the master bedroom. Usually the maids did a good job of unpacking for her, but Ishizu still felt more comfortable arranging her few treasured belongings for herself.

Kaiba went right to work in his office, setting up phone conferences and getting things in order for his return to work the next day. He allowed himself to fully emerge in his work for about an hour, then got up to check on Ishizu. However, when he checked the bedroom, there was no sign of her. He did a quick check downstairs in some of the places he thought she might be hiding, but to no avail.

"Do you know where Ishizu went?" He asked a maid polishing some silver wear in the kitchen.

"Miss Ishtar left a few minutes ago, sir. She said she needed to walk around outside. But um, she said that she left you a note in the master bedroom."

Kaiba, with not as much as a thank you, turned and walked back upstairs to find whatever note the maid was talking about. A brief overview of the room revealed the note, written on a paper napkin from off the jet. On it, a short message: "Went to buy ice cream. Be back before dark." He grumbled as he crumpled the napkin up and left the room. Ishizu was acting like such a child.

In the months that followed, Kaiba would blame the incident that befell Ishizu that night on his decision to buy her that damn ice cream cone back at Kaibaland.

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**_Please read and review! _**


	2. My Name is Isis

Chapter 2: My name is Isis

The call Kaiba received six hours later did not come from Ishizu, though he'd been waiting for her to call. The call didn't come from the driver of the sports car that drove up on to the sidewalk and hit her as she was walking, afterall, he drove away from that scene as fast as he could. The call didn't even come from the hospital where they were treating her, since she had no ID on her at the time and was being treated as a Jane Doe.

Kaiba was in a royal fit by the time he received a phone call from anybody. Six hours after Ishizu left the mansion to buy ice cream, the house phone rang and Kaiba promptly picked it up, expecting to give Ishizu an earful. However, the female voice over the phone was not his girlfriend Ishizu Ishtar, but the Mutts little sister, Serenity Wheeler.

Serenity often volunteered at the hospital she had, at one point, spent so much time in. That day she was volunteering to read on the pediatric ward and was just leaving when she saw the Egyptian woman being wheeled in. Unsure of what to do, Serenity called her brother, Joey, who called Yuugi, who then got in contact with Malik and Rishid back in Egypt, who then told Yuugi that they should call Kaiba.

By the end of this game of phone tag, the entire gang had managed to meet up at the hospital and were enquiring as to the woman's condition. It was Serenity who ended up making the call to Kaiba, since she was the only one who didn't know him well enough to be frightened of the prospect.

"Hello? Seto Kaiba? This is Serentity Wheeler. You may remember me, my brother is Joey Wheeler. I'm calling because I'm at the hospital right now and I'm pretty sure I saw the EMT's bring in Miss Ishizu…" That was all Serenity was able to say before Kaiba hung up the phone and was out the door.

Despite the amazing speed in which Kaiba was able to get from his mansion to the hospital it would be another few days before there was any response from Ishizu. Yuugi, Tea, Joey, Serenity, Tristan, and Bakura stayed, more for Ishizu's sake than for Kaiba's, though Yuugi was concerned about how Kaiba was handling it. By the second day of waiting, Malik and Rishid had flown in from Egypt and were staying by her side. Kaiba mostly kept to himself in either the hallway outside the door or in a corner of the room.

The furrow of his brow, from the outside, looked like annoyance, but was only masking his worry for her. He'd done many unnecessary things to keep his mind from worrying. He'd ordered the ice cream vendor back in America fired, he'd tracked down the owner of the vehicle and hired an ex con to beat him up, he pressed charges against that driver afterwards while he was in the hospital, he'd literally taken candy from sick children on the pediatric ward, all to keep his mind off of Ishizu and the fact that she hadn't woken up yet.

By day four, Kaiba was exhausted. He drove from his mansion to the hospital and sat in his usual spot in the corner of Ishizu's room. After the second day, Kaiba started going back to work, and so, had brought whatever work was left to the hospital with him. Kaiba set his laptop up and started to check the company's figures for the term, ignoring the presence of Malik and Rishid.

"Are you even allowed to do that, Kaiba?" Malik hissed from his older sister's bedside. He was never a fan of Kaiba and Ishizu's relationship but, for the present moment, was trying to remain civil.

"Nothing's going to explode or go haywire. It's fine." Kaiba responded, not lifting his eyes from the screen.

"I swear if you do anything to …"

"Nothing is going to happen. She's in a coma, not a vegetative state. She's not even on life support anymore. She's perfectly stable, just sleeping."

"How are you so calm about this? Don't you care at all?"

"Master Malik…" Rishid interjected before Malik could upset himself.

"This is what I get for trusting you with my sister."

"Whatever." Kaiba brushed him off without a thought. "I don't have the energy to waste bickering with a child like you." He began to type as though nothing had happened. "You may as well just go back to the dusty bowl you call a country because you're not doing anything of importance here."

"Who the HELL do you think you are?" Malik jumped up angrily. "The fact that you two screw each other doesn't mean anything – she can do better than you, you jerk!" Malik checked his own voice and temper before Rishid could grab him. Slowly he sat back down in his seat. "Besides, you wouldn't understand the connection Ishizu and I have. She's more than a sister to me, much more."

"I think I'm gonna puke."

"Then leave. Not like you're doing anything of importance here."

"Might I remind you – I'm the one covering Ishizu's medical and it was the specialist I hired that treated Ishizu so that she got off of life support and is resting comfortably in this posh little room."

"And despite all that she still hasn't waken up yet, even though your 'specialist' claims nothing is wrong."

Kaiba was silent for a while. "I could give her a kiss." He smirked nastily towards his screen and continued to type. If he couldn't torture the kids on pediatrics he could torture this overgrown child.

"Rot in hell you pervert." Malik barked.

"You know that's not right. This is real life. Something as innocent as a kiss wouldn't wake her. I might need to strip us down and go all the way; that usually wakes her up."

"Fuck you Kaiba!" Malik stood up. His angry face looked almost as though he could throw up and cry simulataneously.

"I might have to ask you to leave. I'm sure you wouldn't want to see your big sister in such a compromising position."

"That's it –"

"uuh." A tiny voice pinged in the room.

Malik and Kaiba immediately stopped. At first, Malik looked at Rishid, as though the tiny feminine voice could belong to him. Rishid in turn, looked back at Malik. Kaiba initially looked at both of them for an answer before immediately leaving his seat and crouching beside Ishizu.

"Big sister?" Malik seemed overjoyed and attempted to approach the bed, but with an unexpected quickness, Kaiba stuck out is leg and tripped the younger Ishtar without thinking.

"Ishizu? Are you awake?" Kaiba asked with a gentleness he lacked while kicking Malik once again when he tried to stand up.

Slowly Ishizu stirred. Her heavy eyelids opened for the first time in four days. As they adjusted to the light, Ishizu moved her head from side to side and tried to gain her bearings. Finally she looked at Kaiba straight on.

Kaiba was leaning in close, so the coy innocent expression was not lost to him. Something unfamiliar was evident in her face and he didn't like it. A feeling of dread spread across his body.

Then she spoke.

"My name is Isis." Ishizu spoke in a soft, girlish voice. "Who are you? What is this place?"

Kaiba looked at her dumbfounded. Ishizu continued to look at his face with a gentle yet slightly frightened expression. Although she looked the same, something in the way she held her face made the woman look younger.

"You're kidding right? Is this a joke? Ishizu!" Kaiba barked, fighting the cold sharp feeling racing up and down his spine.

"I'm not joking." She cried, visibly frightened by his outburst. "I don't know who you are! Where have you taken me? Where are my brothers?" Ishizu tried to climb off the bed but the sudden movement made her head spin. Kaiba tried to grab her arm and ease her back down but she pulled her arm away violently.

"Ishizu?" Malik questioned, having pulled himself from off the floor.

"Malik!" Ishizu said with relief. "Where are we? Does father know of this?"

"Does… father? No, Ishizu what are you saying…"

"Why do you call me Ishizu? You've never called me by that name before."

Malik stopped in his tracks and stared at his big sister. The air was filled with confusion from all angles.

"Rishid!" Ishizu directed towards her other brother, hoping he could explain. "Please tell me what's going on. Where is this place? We must be on the outside, right? Does father know? Is there something wrong with Malik? Why is he calling me Ishizu?"

Rishid could only look on in dumb silence. He was at a loss for words as well. It had been many years since he had seen Ishizu speak this way. After a long silence Rishid finally spoke.

"Miss Ishizu… how old are you?"

Ishizu cocked her head to the side in confusion, then scoffed as though it were the most ridiculous question she'd ever had to answer.

"What are you talking about Rishid? I'm sixteen. I have been since last season." She answered matter-of-factly. It was then that she took a good look around. "Wait. Malik?" She questioned looking at him more closely now. "You're… you're so old! Rishid, you too! What's going on?"

Ishizu was paniked by this point. Despite her dizziness, she scrambled out of the bed and looked down at herself. Almost as though not wanting to believe what she was seeing, she ran towards the door. Malik and Kaiba tried to grab her, but she moved with a nimbleness neither had expected.

Ishizu ran down the hospital corridors in only her hospital gown, alerting many of the nurses in the section that something was wrong. At attention, they left their stations and half jogged after her, begging for her to stop and tell them what was wrong. Kaiba and Malik sped past the flock of nurses, chasing Ishizu at full speed.

When Ishizu stopped suddenly, the two young men nearly collided with her. The reason for her sudden halt was the presence of a glass divider in the hallway, with an automatic sliding glass door.

Within the shiny polished glass, Ishizu could clearly see her reflection. She looked no different from the way she did when she was hit by the car. The problem was, the Ishizu standing there had no memory of that. She had absolutely no recollection of anything having happened in the past four years. In her eyes, 16-year old Isis had gone to sleep one night, and woken up as her 20-year old self.

Ishizu, or Isis as she preferred to be called, stared unbelieving at the reflection in the glass divider. She'd never seen herself in such a well lit area, she had no idea what the large structure she was in was called. In the background, she saw her sweet little brother approaching, looking so grown up, she couldn't believe. And then there was the pale skinned man who had initially spoken to her so gently.

Isis couldn't take anymore of it. Her eyes rolled back and her body went slack. With a hard thud, Isis fainted.

Kaiba was alerted when he saw her eyes roll back. Before she could hit the ground, he was there to catch her.

"Ishizu! Ishizu!" Kaiba shook her vigorously. "Damn it!"

The nurses finally caught up and attempted to retrieve Ishizu but Kaiba held on to his girlfriend like a child holding on to his security blanket. Grudgingly, Kaiba carried her back in to her room.

When they had finally returned, they saw Rishid standing inside speaking with the specialist Kaiba had hired.

"So what the hell is wrong with her now?" Kaiba said, angrily placing Ishizu back on the bed.

The specialist, a long limbed Japanese man of around 40, paced slightly. "I would need to examine her again when she wakes up but… My hunch is that it's amnesia."

"What, so she doesn't know who she is?"

"No Mr. Kaiba. Amnesia to that degree is extremely rare, it hardly ever happens. Miss Ishizu is perfectly aware of who she is." The specialist said, trying to choose his words carefully. "She's just missing a chunk of it."

"What?"

"Miss Ishizu," Rishid interrupted. "appears to have forgotten everything that happened in the past four years. She thinks she's still sixteen. I realized it when she introduced herself as Isis. Miss Ishizu hasn't allowed anyone to call her that since back then."

Both Kaiba and Malik stood there dumbfounded. Neither could believe what they were hearing. In effect, Ishizu now had the mind of a sixteen year old, and the difference was very noticeable.

"Will she get her memories back?" Malik asked.

"It's hard to say. She could remember by the time she wakes up, or maybe by tomorrow or years from now. Her body is healthy but we'll keep watch over her here for a while. Then, if her memory doesn't return, I would suggest you taking her home. Show her some pictures, try to restart that memory."

Fortunately, Isis did not wake up four days later, more like five minutes. Unfortunately, Isis still thought she was Isis, not Ishizu. She opened her eyes slowly, hoping that this time, she would be back in her old room. However, the bright lights alerted her that this would definitely not be the case.

By her side, Isis could clearly see her little brother and the pale skinned man arguing over something. She didn't understand what they were fighting about but she wished they would shut up.

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**_Things are getting interesting... feel free to Review._**


	3. Girlhood Crush

**_FYI_**

**_As Isis (Ishizu) gets her memories back, the memories will be in italics._**

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Chapter 3: Girlhood Crush

By day two Isis had been introduced to all of Yuugi's friends. She thought they were very nice people and enjoyed spending time with them. By now, Isis was less shocked by their pale complections, though in the back of her mind she still thought they looked a bit sickly being that color.

"Excuse me Pharaoh?" Isis directed towards Yuugi in a somewhat sheepish manner.

"Oh!" Yuugi said with some embarrassment, scratching his head. "I see you're back to calling me pharaoh."

"Well yes, of course, you're obviously the pharaoh."

"Yeah." Yuugi laughed uncomfortably. "Well just call me Yuugi, Ishizu."

"If you wish. Then you can call me Isis, Yuugi." She answered with a slight bow of her head.

Yuugi immediately turned around. Joey leaned over by his side to check on him.

"You ok Yuug?"

"Kawaii!" Yuugi whispered to his friend, revealing a furious blush. "When did Ishizu become so cute?"

Joey turned his head to the side and pretended to cough so as to suppress his need to chuckle. Even still, even Joey had to admit, Ishizu was not so much elegant and womanly as sweet and innocent. It almost, Joey found himself thinking, made you want to take advantage of her.

"Pharoah? I mean, Yuugi. Is something wrong?" Isis asked from her bed.

Yuugi controlled his blush and turned back around to face her. "Nope! Everything's fine. So, there was something you wanted to ask me about?"

"Yes." Ishizu answered with a smile. "Is it true? Has Malik already shown 'it' to you? Our job is done now?"

"Yeah." Joey answered for him. Yuugi just smiled and nodded. "That was like a year ago."

"So now we can live on the surface. And this country, is Japan?"

"Yep." Joey answered again.

"Amazing. I wish I could remember it all. I wish I remembered all of you. You all seem like such nice people." With this Ishizu stopped and looked at the doorway. "Well," she lowered her voice "almost everyone."

Yuugi and Joey knew she was talking about Kaiba. He was sulking outside the door, having refused to walk in anymore.

"Yeah well he's always been a jerk, can't help that." Joey answered nonchalantly.

"Who is he anyway?"

At this, Yuugi and Joey stopped in confusion. "You mean…" Joey started.

"He didn't say anything to you?" Yuugi finished.

Isis looked shyly down at the ground and shook her head. "No." She said. "He just kept saying, 'you really forgot everything?' and started yelling. He scared me so Malik told him to leave and he just stormed out."

Isis put a hand over her heart. She could feel it beating faster just thinking about the stony faced guy. She felt nervous around him for some reason. Although she had clues as to why, she could never tell anyone what it was. That was her little secret. Isis looked at the two boys in her room with growing concern

"So, who is he?"

"Well, Kaiba…" Joey tried to find the words. "Kaiba is this really selfish, self-important jerk that nobody likes and doesn't care about anybody elses feelin's."

"Joey." Yuugi started.

"He's super rich and owns this huge corporation. He lives in a mansion with servants and cars, and all this other stuff, and he's the guy payin for you ta be in this hospital."

"Why?" Ishizu cocked her head in confusion. If this Kaiba was really as stuck up as he sounded, why would he do such a thing for her?

"Well… you guys are kinda… together."

Isis' eyes opened wide in shock. They couldn't possibly be telling the truth. The scene of her first awakening flashed before her eyes. He'd been right there beside her, and spoke gently to her. Those eyes burned in to her and she felt her heart beat fast once again. Isis covered her face with her hands to hide the blush that had spread across her cheeks.

"Yuugi! Joey!" Tea called from the doorway. She and Tristan had left to get something to drink. "We have to get going."

"Ah ok." Yuugi answered, ready to leave the tense atmosphere. "Isis, if you need anything, feel free to call. We gotta go now."

"Yes, thank you." Isis answered quickly, still covering her face with her hands. Yuugi and Joey left, leaving Isis alone to think about what she had just heard. "Um. Hey? Are you still out there?" Isis called towards the door.

There was no reply.

"If you're still out there" Isis continued, "you can come in if you like." Isis waited a little longer but heard no reply. Just as she was about to give up, the scary looking teen appeared in the doorway. He stood there, looking at her for a while then let out a sigh and walked into the room.

"It's Kaiba right?" Isis asked, trying to be friendly. However, upon hearing his name, Kaiba became agitated and grit his teeth. "I'm sorry, is there something else you prefer to be called?"

Kaiba was silent for a while then turned his head. "No, Kaiba's fine." There was no way that Kaiba could tell her how much this was upsetting him. The Ishizu he knew had always called him by his first name or by his whole name. It was something few people were allowed to do. She was an exception. Now, that was all gone.

Isis could sense his annoyance but was unsure of how to resolve it so she kept quiet. Kaiba sat down in a chair near the bed and said nothing. She looked down at her hands, unsure of what else there was to say.

After a few minutes of silence, Kaiba finally looked over at her again. "So," he said "was there something you wanted to say to me? Why'd you call me in here?"

"Yes." She replied. "I wanted to thank you for paying for my hospital visit. It means a lot to me. Also, since you are like one of my guardians, I wanted to know if you could tell me where I'll be staying after I leave the hospital. The nurses said they are discharging me tomorrow."

"Guardian? What do you mean, guardian?"

"Well…" Ishizu's blush started up again and she twiddled her fingers, making Kaiba want to barf at the cutseyness of it, "we're together, right? Yuugi, the pharaoh, he said it just now. I didn't realize before. But as my husband, you're my guardian right? You, Rishid and my father wherever he is."

Seto stopped and looked at her for a while. Suddenly, he broke out into uncontrollable laughter. Isis looked at him confused and embarrassed, though for what reason, she had yet to find out. Once Seto had stopped laughing he was able to speak again.

"Who told you we were married? I'm not your husband!"

"Oh!" Isis said, trying to save some face. "Well fine then I wouldn't want to be your wife anyway! It just makes things simpler for me then, I'll just go wherever Malik and Rishid live."

"Well you can try but they don't have a place to stay here, they're in a hotel. They live in Egypt."

"Then I'll go with them back to Egypt."

"All you're things are at my place."

"Why are they there?"

"Because, idiot, that's where you live."

"But! I can't live there!" Isis' face had turned a whole new shade of pink. "I… I really don't even know you and besides…" Ishizu looked down at her hands again.

"What?" Kaiba said, with hidden amusement.

"We're not married. I can't live with some strange man, especially if you're not my husband."

"Oh don't tell me you're shy?"

"If we aren't married, we shouldn't be living together. Who knows what could happen!"

"Excuse me?" Kaiba couldn't hide his amusement. "What do you mean? What could happen?"

"You know… things." Isis mumbled, looking in every direction except his.

"Things? Oh, you mean sex? Yes, well I suppose that does happen when a man and woman live together."

"Exactly! And you're not my husband so that can't happen."

"So you're saving yourself for marriage?"

"Yes!"

At this, Kaiba audibly scoffed. This girl prancing around in Ishizu's body was a naïve little numb knot. As much as he enjoyed poking fun at her, he wanted his girlfriend back.

"Tell me. To you, a husband is what?"

"What are you talking about?" Isis asked in annoyance.

"A husband and a wife. They're two people that live together. What else?"

"Well, to me, a husband is a protector. He provides for his wife and the children. A husband and wife are two people who make an agreement to support each other."

"They live together, they sleep together, they have meals together, they have an agreement with each other, right?"

"I guess so."

"Fine, if that's the case then you can consider me your husband. When you're discharged you're coming home with me like you should."

"But you said…"

"Before the accident, we did all those things we just mentioned. You consider that a marriage. If so, then so be it. We can call it that for now. You _will _be coming home where you belong, understand?"

Isis said nothing but nodded her head. Somehow, this man frightened her, intimidated her, and fascinated her all at the same time. Naturally, his coarse manner and lack of tact grated on her nerves but she couldn't help the strange feeling she got around her neck and in the pit of her stomach when he would come too close.

Apparently satisfied with how the conversation went, Kaiba turned towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Isis asked.

"Work." Kaiba answered without even a glance back in her direction. As long as he knew that Ishizu, or Isis as she was now being called, was safe and on her way home the next day, he could return to work with a little less on his mind. The issue of restoring her memories would be resolved in time.

Isis could only watch, crestfallen, as her "husband" left without so much as a goodbye or a smile. It was unbelievably rude and extremely cold, leaving the way he did. But what was worse was now that they had spoken, and he left so suddenly, she felt even lonelier than before. Her brothers weren't in the hospital and the other young people had left as well, but somehow his absence hurt even more.

Isis closed her eyes and remembered her room, back in the tomb. Compared to the room she was currently in, her old room was so dark and musty, the air so stale one could hardly breath. But even still, it was her room and the only home she had ever known. In her mind, Isis visualized walking through the many corridors of the intricate tomb she called home. Isis began to drift.

_The__ little bit of candlelight does not do much to pierce the darkness but her eyes are always adjusted to see through it. As she goes deeper within the tomb the halls narrow. Every once in a while she will see a makeshift chamber carved into the wall. Within them are sarcophaguses, holding the bodies of their ancestors. Isis walks deeper and deeper into the darkness until she eventually reaches the innermost section of the tomb. A door sections off this most sacred area, and Isis believes that she is probably the only tomb keeper currently living that has ever been this far in._

_This is Isis' secret spot. Isis kneels down on the floor and feels her way over to the wall near the doorway. Although she has never opened the door, she knows what is inside it. Finally, she feels what she has come all this way to see. On the wall is a relief, a story carved into the wall much different than the ones near the living area. Those reliefs remind them of the duty they must carry out. This relief, on the other hand, tells a story that had been erased from history except in this one place. A story of an affair that turned two loyal servants into traitors of the heart, full of passion, jealousy, and despair._

_Once more, Isis wants to escape this horrible prison she calls home and live vicariously through the main woman of this story. She wants a love like this one, even if it was a tragic one. She wants to escape and find her man of destiny, just as mother wanted to so many years ago. But Isis knows, as her mother knew, that it will never happen. She will live and die in the tomb, like her ancestors before her. Tears fill her eyes as she looks at the story etched across the walls and the face of the man she could only find in dreams._

When Isis opened her eyes, she was no longer in the tomb. The hospital room was not as bright as it had been before. To her left, a nurse clad in a white uniform gently nudged her awake.

"Miss, you're going home now."

"Home?" Isis questioned, still a little confused. Her dream felt so real, almost as though it were a memory.

"Yes, Miss. You're being released today. Your husband is here to take you home." The nurse answered with a smile.

Still confused, Isis whipped her head over towards the door, and saw the man standing in the doorway. He had the same face as the man on the wall and it made her face flush with anxiety. Her man of destiny.

"Hurry up and get dressed!" Kaiba scolded impatiently. "We're getting the hell out of here!"

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**_I'm still currently working on this story. If you wish to see more, please let me know and I'll try to put up more chapters as quickly as I can. As always please review, it's very much appreciated! Thanks!_**


	4. The First Night

**_It took a while but the chapter is up. I had a lot of adult things to do and couldn't write but I do plan to finish this one (and eventually my other unfinished work as well). Sorry it took so long! Enjoy!_**

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Chapter 4: The First Night

One thing Kaiba noticed right off was that regardless of whether she was Ishizu or Isis, he would never understand what fascinated her with trees and scenery so much. Granted, the old Ishizu's reaction to being outside was much more muted than the giddy twit beside him now.

When the two had walked out of the hospital doors for the first time, Isis looked both awe struck and terrified. It was still very early morning and the sun had not risen yet. Cool air whipped their faces as they stepped through the doors. Although the car was there and waiting, Isis seemed reluctant to get inside. After a few minutes of prodding, Isis finally caved and got in the car.

Her terror and amazement only escalated from there. For goodness sake the damn metal box moved! And fast!

Despite the slight annoyance of her childish nature, Kaiba couldn't help but smile a little. Isis instinctively grasped his knee for reassurance as they sped down the highway. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she watched the trees whip by, and the light filled city skyline.

Looking at her now, Kaiba couldn't believe that she was, in essence, a completely different person. The various colored lights reflected off the window glass and illuminated her face. Light and then shadow. She was a very beautiful woman. Lost in the moment, and very aware of her hand grasping his knee, Kaiba moved to slink an arm around her waist.

Isis felt the contact and jumped. Her face blushed instantly in a mixture of surprise and nervousness.

"Please don't do that, Mr. Kaiba."

"Do what?"

"You… you're hand. It's in an inappropriate place."

"You're waist?"

"Yes."

Kaiba looked at her in exasperation but moved his hand anyway. He sighed deeply and mumbled. After a moment, Kaiba jerked his knee away violently, startling Isis.

"Don't touch my knee. It's inappropriate… CHILD!" He grumbled.

"I'm sorry."

"It's too late, I'm offended. If you're really sorry keep your head down the rest of the ride and get that stupid look off your face. You act like you've never been in a car before."

Isis opened her mouth to talk but decided against it. Silently, Isis put her hands in her lap and lowered her head. She was tempted to look out the window and tried to steal glances every now and then, but almost immediately returned her head to its original state.

Kaiba looked straight ahead but watched her in his peripherals the entire ride home. He couldn't believe that Isis was really being so obedient. He expected her to fight back but she did no such thing. Kaiba couldn't help it; he felt like a jerk. Somewhere deep inside he wanted to tell her that it was ok, that he was just being the way he normally is and that she really didn't have to stare at her hands in silence, but he couldn't get himself to do it.

The gates to the Kaiba estate opened up allowing them onto the grounds. As they pulled up Kaiba took the opportunity to break the silence.

"This is it. We're home." Isis seemed hesitant to release her gaze from her hands. "Oh stop it! Just look."

Isis pouted with a frustrated look at Kaiba, then turned her head to look outside. The moment her eyes caught sight of the entrance she was mesmerized. Rowland, came around to her side and opened the door, but Isis seemed not to have noticed. She stayed stationary and simply stared in disbelief.

"What is this place?" Isis half whispered as though afraid to speak too loudly in such a place was offensive.

"This is where I live. Where we live, together." As he spoke, Isis' gaze never left the entrance. Honestly, from their position, she couldn't even see the entire house, mostly just the entranceway. Kaiba knew that Ishizu came from humble beginnings but since she didn't go in to much detail about it, he had no idea as to what her mindset was at this point. This realization hit him when Isis finally turned and looked at him.

At first, Kaiba wasn't sure whether it was a trick of the light or maybe his own exhaustion. Her eyes were welling up with tears. The expression on her face revealed that she was obviously trying to hold it in, but it didn't seem that would last much longer.

"Are you serious?" Isis asked with determination. "I really live in a place like this?"

"Yes. Ishizu, are you alright?"

Two single streams rolled down her cheeks and Isis, embarrassed lowered her face into her hands. "This is like a dream. I never ever thought… I never thought I'd ever…" Kaiba felt powerless and out of place as Isis wept silently into her hands.

True, Ishizu had been impressed when she first saw his estate, but her reaction was nothing close to this. What had his Ishizu gone through that made her so different in just four years. The more he thought about this the more he realized there was a lot he didn't know about the only woman he'd ever loved. The fact made him hurt for some reason. Kaiba felt a fleeting desire to reach out and comfort her, but it passed quickly. This was awkward. This was why he didn't like girls.

"Are you just about finished?" He didn't mean for it to come out the way it did, but by now he was done apologizing for the way he spoke.

Isis wiped her eyes and struggled to regain herself. "Yes, husband, I apologize. It just became a little too much for me to handle. I'm alright." Isis lifted her face and showed her bright smile.

Kaiba shuttered. Trying to be strong, putting on her biggest brightest smile; she was too cute. Kaiba hated cute. Hated it with a fiery passion.

"Good." Kaiba shook the disgusting feeling off and stepped out of the car. "Then if you're done crying like an idiot can we get inside without all the waterworks? I have to be to work in a few hours." He shut the car door and proceeded to walk around towards the entrance.

Isis appeared to be getting better control of her emotions as she left the car, however, Kaiba could tell that she was nervous. The way she was holding herself as she came up the walkway made her look so much smaller and unsure than he was used to seeing her.

As they walked inside, Kaiba could only image what her expression would have been like had she seen the house later in the day when the sun was out and the windows were open, when all the servants were busy at work and the true beauty of the mansion shone through. Kaiba knew of this from the times that he had worked from his home office but mostly, from what Ishizu had told him. He looked at her and understood that this girl, Isis, did not yet know that beauty. All she knew was a grandiose entranceway and a very large, dimly lit, empty mansion.

Kaiba dismissed Rowland and escorted his former love up the stairs. Isis was in awe of the size of the stairs and the hallways, looking around in disbelief. They stopped suddenly in front of a pair of intimidating double doors. Kaiba opened the doors and motioned for Isis to come closer.

"This is where we slept. I'm normally on the left side of the bed and you're on the right." He said pointing to the wide solid oak bed with memory foam mattress. At that moment, Isis realized how close she was to him. Her face felt flush. Kaiba pointed to the other side of the room.

"Over there is the bathroom, there are two sinks in there each with our own personal items nearby. Once again, mine is the left and yours is the right." Kaiba then pointed to another area of the room. "That's my armoire, to the right is your chest. I have no idea whats in there but you can sort that out. And finally," Kaiba pointed to an area between two other doors "closets. Mine and yours. Left, right."

Isis looked up into his face. Kaiba made her nervous but excited too. He looked just like the man in the legend whose likeness was carved in the walls of her hiding place. She'd dreamed of an alternate life where they could be together. Now she was looking at a real face. It was frightening and amazing.

"Thank you Kaiba." She said, taking a step inside the room. However, when she stepped inside, Kaiba pushed her back out. "What's the matter? You said this is where we slept, right?"

"Yes, but that was in the past. From now on you'll be sleeping in one of the guest bedrooms."

"Then why did…"

"I just wanted to make sure you knew where your stuff was for later." Kaiba grabbed her by the hand and pulled Isis across the hall. The guest room was dark and it was smaller than the master bedroom, but it was comfortable as far as Kaiba was concerned and close enough to him that she could find him if she needed him. To Kaiba, that was all that mattered. Isis however, seemed hesitant.

"What? Don't tell me it's too small for you?"

"No of course not!" Isis waved her hands furiously. "It's just…"

"Just what?" He waited for an answer but Isis simply looked down. Tired, Kaiba turned to leave but Isis grabbed his wrist. Kaiba turned, baffled.

"Well if we're married shouldn't we be sleeping in the same room?" Isis sputtered out, with less than the most confidence in her tone.

"You don't even remember me. Why would you want to sleep with me? Dangerous things can happen, right?" Kaiba suddenly grinned and leaned in towards her. Isis looked nervous by the sudden closeness. "Unless you want those kinds of things to happen."

"Of course not! I mean… Well we're basically married right? So I just think…"

"Like I said, you'll sleep here for now." Kaiba turned and walked back towards the door. "Goodnight Isis."

Isis didn't have a chance to respond before the door shut and she was left alone in the dark room. She didn't mind the dark. She was very used to it. In fact she felt comfortable in the dark environment. Isis slipped out of her dress opting to sleep in the slip underneath.

Carefully, Isis pulled back the heavy blankets and top sheet and sat on the feathertop mattress. The bed was comfortable, probably the most comfortable bed she'd ever been in. Yet, Isis couldn't shake this feeling of unease. She'd been too embarrassed to say it to Kaiba but the truth was she'd never gone to sleep in a room by herself. She was used to sleeping with other people. Even in the hospital she had caretakers that looked over her until she was asleep.

Isis lay down in the bed and closed her eyes, begging for sleep to come as quickly as possible.

_Isis walks amongst the many caverns of the tomb. When she was a child she loved to get lost within them and discover new places just like the room with the legend written on the walls. The trouble, however, comes in returning from her mini escape. Isis steps lightly outside of one room. It houses another tomb keeping family within the clan, made up of a father and two sons. Isis tries her best not to be heard, she does not want anyone to find out about her hiding place._

_This evening, the door to their room is open ever so slightly and inside she can hear the two brothers talking. Isis does not want to ease drop but stops when she hears her name. She etches over to the opening slowly so as not to alert them._

"_This is ridiculous, she's to be married off soon. Do you really think she wouldn't tell? The father would castrate us!"_

"_No! You listen to me! If we wait until she's asleep, the torch will inevitably go out. She wont know its us. Even if she is bold enough to say something, who would seek punishment for it without feeling guilty? Everyone down here is thinking the same thing, her father included. Look at that man's eyes when she walks past. Even he's thought about it."_

"_Thinking about it and acting on it are two different things."_

"_And who is to say someone hasn't already acted on it? She's at a very good age. Her body is ready for it…"_

"_Enough! This isn't right."_

"_I'll tell you what isn't right! We are one of only six men down here who will never know what a woman feels like! They're dead brother, all of them. They're dead either from disease or childbirth. Ishtar's daughter is the only one left in this forsaken tomb and we are to just sit idly by while she's handed over to some brat who doesn't know his dick from his elbow?"_

"_Brother please…"_

"_Meanwhile the old men are probably planning how to get their shriveled things in as well."_

_There is silence, and Isis is afraid even to breathe. Her heart is racing in her chest and she wants to run but her legs feel unstable beneath her. She has to get away from here. She has to get out of this tomb. She has to hide._

"_You're sure… that we wont get caught?"_

_Isis holds in a sob._

"_We wait till she's asleep, the torch will burn out, she'll be alone. We won't get caught."_

_Isis finally moves her feet. It seems like her every movement makes a sound the fills the entire tomb but they cannot hear it. Walking past the door is the longest walk of her life, her body shakes in fear. When she is far enough away from the door, she takes off with abandon and doesn't stop until she's reached her room._

"_Big sister, what's the matter?" Her twelve year-old brother asks with concern. Isis grabs him tight against her chest._

"_Don't leave me alone! Please! Don't let me sleep alone!" _

Isis shot up from the bed, breathing harshly. She hadn't been sure whether the last one was a dream or a memory but Isis was convinced now. She was remembering things. She tried to clam herself but her body was still shaking. Just what had happened after that? She couldn't remember, and now she doubted if she wanted to.

She suddenly felt very afraid being in the empty room. Cold with sweat, Isis crawled out of bed and quickly walked over to the door disregarding her slippers and dress. Isis walked out into the hallway and approached the master bedroom. She paused for a moment, considering whether to go in or not before opening the door. Being a light sleeper, Kaiba heard the door crack open.

"What the hell?" Kaiba grumbled. "I have to get up for work in two hours, what are…" He then noticed that Isis was standing in the doorway, crying. "Why…"

"Please! I don't want to sleep alone… I…" Isis couldn't finish. Overwhelmed she broke down crying. Desperately she clutched at her sides to stop the shaking but she couldn't stop.

Kaiba couldn't believe what he was seeing. He attempted to call her but he wasn't reaching her. Instinctually, Kaiba got up and came to her side. He felt awkward standing there and moved a hand to comfort her but it stuck midair. This felt even more awkward.

Instead, Kaiba grabbed her by the arm. "Come on then." He said, pulling her over to the bed. "I have work soon I can't be up all night with you crying." Kaiba made her sit down at the edge of the bed then walked over to the other side. Hastily he crawled back into bed and pulled the covers down, motioning for her to lie down.

Isis was still unable to stop crying despite her best efforts but laid herself down and pulled the covers over her. She was trying to settle in when she felt Kaiba behind her. Swiftly he draped an arm across her waist and pulled her in.

"Now go to sleep. You'll be safe. I'm too tired to try anything."

Being held against him felt nice. It was hard to control the crying but she felt safer with him and she was happy. Isis breathed in deeply, enjoying the feeling of his warm body beside hers. It brought back feelings of something that she couldn't remember.

"Thank you Kaiba." She whispered once she was able to speak again. "You're not very gentle, but you can be very kind in your own way. You are a loving person. Even though I can't remember you, I think I can see why I…"

"Blah, blah, go to sleep." He grumbled in annoyance. Isis couldn't help but smile.

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**_Please remember to Read and Review. _**

**_Thanks!_**


	5. Playing House

_**I'm back! And I will be updating more often since it is the summer time. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and asked for updates. Hope you all enjoy. This chapter's a little cuter before some of the angst starts to come in...**_

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Chapter 5: Playing House

When Isis woke up, Kaiba was long gone, but she wasn't alone.

"Good morning Miss Ishtar." A young boy's voice came from across the room. Isis sat up and shook the sleep out of her enough to turn and see who was talking to her.

Across the room sat a young boy, around 14 years-old. He wore a simple button up plaid shirt and gray slacks with no shoes. The boy was seated at a small desk on the other side of the desk but had the chair facing her direction. As Isis sat up, the boy turned off his hand-held game and dropped it nonchalantly on the desk.

"How are you feeling?" He smiled. Isis struggled to smile back before looking around for Kaiba. The boy noticed her discomfort and laughed nervously. "Man, you really don't remember me at all, I guess." The boy scratched his head through a thick layer of wild black hair before standing up and giving a slight bow. "My name is Mokuba. My big brother is Seto."

"Who?"

"Seto." Mokuba reiterated a little confused. "You know, Kaiba Seto."

"Oh! I see. I'm accustomed to calling him by his family name."

"Really? Awe man. Poor Nii-san."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing. No worries. Anyways, Ni-san told me to look after you today so we can take the time to get to know each other again." Mokuba smiled brightly.

"I'd like that." Isis smiled back. She couldn't help it. The boy seemed familiar to her. He was very close in age to Malik the last time she remembered him. Slowly she crawled out of the warm mass of blankets. Mokuba offered her a hand and guided her feet towards a pair of slippers. Isis accepted the help gratefully.

"Would you like a tour Miss Ishtar?" Mokuba asked, firmly grasping her hand.

"I would, but please, call me Isis. Miss Ishtar seems so formal."

"Sorry. Its just, I only just got used to calling you Ishizu, but Nii-san told me not to call you that." The two walked out of the room and began a slow stroll down the hallway.

"I see. This must be confusing for you."

"It's ok. It's probably more confusing for you." Mokuba opened one of the other doors in that hallway with his free hand and motioned for her to take a look inside. "This is where I sleep. If you ever want to come visit me at night this is where I'll be." Mokuba then closed the door and opened another door directly across the hall. "If I'm not in my room, I might also be in here. It's my study. I don't really study in there though. I like to play games." A mischievous grin spread across Mokuba's face.

Isis chuckled. Mokuba was very sweet and reminded her a lot of Malik. He never let go of her hand as they continued to tour the mansion. Unlike earlier, the servants were up and working, bringing life to the large space. As they walked around, Isis felt important as servants of various expertise smiled and nodded to her and welcomed her back and asked of her welfare, and expressed their concern over her absence. It felt unreal.

"So are you comfortable here, Miss Ishizu?" All the time they had been walking around the mansion, Mokuba hadn't let go of her hand. Isis found it to be a very pleasant feeling.

"Goodness, Miss Ishizu now?" Isis giggled.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. If you can't call me Isis, then Ishizu is fine. Just Ishizu though, please no Miss Ishizu or Miss Ishtar."

"I can do that. So Ishizu, you're comfortable?"

"This is a very beautiful home. I love all the windows especially."

"You were always a fan of the grounds. Do you want to walk around outside? The weather is really good for it today."

"I'd love that." Isis said with enthusiasm. Mokuba laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Its just you really are different. It's like night and day."

"Is that bad?" Isis suddenly felt very conscious of herself. An image of Kaiba's many confused and angry faces flashed before her eyes. She couldn't help that she was different than what everyone expected her to be. In Isis' mind she was just being herself. For Kaiba though, being herself wasn't necessarily a good thing and for some reason, that hurt.

"Don't worry." Mokuba waved his free hand nonchalantly. "I like you this way. I liked you before and I still like you now. It's just a different kind of like."

"How so?"

"Well before you were very… beautiful. And now you're more… cute."

"I see." Isis looked down with a hint of frustration evident in her features.

"Don't worry, don't worry." Mokuba tugged at her hand. "Nii-san isn't really a fan of cute things but still, it'll be ok. He'll still like you regardless. He can't help himself…. That is what you were worried about right." Isis turned her face away to hide the blush that crept across her cheeks. Mokuba laughed again. "Man, you used to be nearly stone. You're so easy to read now, this is great."

"What was our relationship like?"

"Us? Well you were my Nii-san's girlfriend and you lived here. You were always really nice to me."

"Were we good friends?"

"I guess. But…"

"What?"

"Honestly," Mokuba stopped and gave Isis a small smile "for some reason you felt more like a mother."

"_Malik, please talk to me. Why are you being this way?" Isis pleads. She and her brother lay together on the single bed. Their small room is just big enough to hold all three of the siblings every night and always smelled damp. At the moment, Rishid is out of the room. Although no one else realizes it, he has been keeping an eye on the other tomb keepers for the sake of both Isis and Malik. Isis nudges her little brother again, with more force until he angrily slaps her hand away._

"_Leave me alone!" Malik utters. "I don't want to talk to you."_

"_Malik! Please tell me, what did I do?"_

_Malik suddenly turns to face her. His eyes are wet and furious. "Why didn't you ever stop me from calling you my mother! Why did it take me realizing on my own that you're only four years older than me?"_

_Isis feels a lump form on her throat. Her skin begins to prickle and heat up with guilt. She never knew how she would go about explaining this to him and she is still at a loss as to what to say. She opens her mouth but no words come out._

"_I feel like an idiot." Malik mutters, wiping tears furiously from his eyes. "I want you to tell me something Isis and I want you to tell me the truth."_

"_Yes." The word barely make it out of her mouth._

"_My mother… our mother. How did she die?" There is silence. "Tell me!"_

"_She died giving birth."_

"_To me?" Isis can only nod in response. Malik furiously wipes at his eyes again. He cannot restrain himself anymore. "Then… When you give birth…. Are you going to die as well?" There is a long silence as both know the answer but neither wish to say it._

"Ishizu? You ok?" Mokuba looked at the distant Isis, puzzled.

Isis finally emerged from within her head and realized they were outside. The night before, Isis was looking down at her hands until the car reached the front entrance and it was dark. Seeing the grounds around the mansion for the first time was overwhelming.

"Oh my…"

"Knew you'd still like it."

Green grass, carefully organized flowers, trimmed hedges, and large Sakura trees spanned the grounds as far as Isis could see. A stone walkway curved and looped by all the major garden displays. In the distance, what appeared to be a man-made cave, was actually a waterfall style fountain, complete with colorful fish.

"Past the trees there's more untamed land and our personal hot spring." Mokuba enjoyed being Isis' tour guide. Her face lighted up with each new discovery.

"It's so beautiful out here." Isis walked along the stone path admiring the grounds. "I wish Malik and Rishid could see this."

"Well, they've been here so they've seen it before."

"Really? Oh. I guess they're used to seeing these kinds of things already."

"Make no mistake, this is a pretty expansive garden. It's not something you can see anywhere. But Malik and Rishid have definitely seen it. They came to visit you a lot."

"I see." Isis bent down and inhaled the sweet smell of a row of flowers along the path. She smiled then sneezed. Mokuba laughed as she sneezed a few more times.

"You're allergies are acting up."

"What?" She looked at Mokuba confused, furiously rubbing her nose.

"You've always loved the grounds, but you can never stay out here for too long cause your allergies start acting up." Mokuba took Isis' hand and pulled her back towards the mansion. Isis pulled back with reluctance.

"Just a little longer please?"

"Nii-san put me in charge of you, so you have to listen. We'll go back inside for now before your allergies get worse."

"but…"

"Everything'll still be here tomorrow. I'll remember to give you your allergy medication beforehand too so you can stay out here longer. Promise." Mokuba finally pulled the reluctant Isis back towards the mansion.

Isis looked crestfallen, having been pulled back into the house and Mokuba could tell. He escorted Isis to the bathroom to help her get tissue and medication. As he did, he came up with an idea.

"Just take your time and don't blow too hard. I'll be back." Mokuba said, offering her more wads of tissue.

"I am still older than you, you know." Isis pouted through watery eyes and a dripping nose.

Mokuba chuckled as he left. Alone in the bathroom, Isis was left to reflect on her new surroundings. Without a doubt, this house was the most amazing place she'd ever seen. The entire place was immaculate, and there were windows everywhere. It was such a big change from the tomb she grew up in. The air was different, even from when she was in the hospital.

Isis cursed her nose and eyes for cutting her time outside the house short. She tossed the last of the tissue into the garbage bin set beside the toilet and washed her face. Feeling fresh, Isis turned to leave the bathroom.

It wasn't long before Mokuba stopped her once again, beaming brightly. This time, he had two women with him, each carrying a small bundle.

"Let's go to the kitchen!" Mokuba said.

"Is that my second favorite place here?"

"Couldn't tell ya, but I do know that I always liked it when you were in there." With that, Mokuba grabbed Isis' hand and pulled her towards the modern kitchen.

The two were greeted cheerily by four cooks, some kneading dough, others sprinkling confectioners sugar. The smell of pastries cooking was intoxicating. Isis felt her eyes roll back as she inhaled deeply the delicious fragrance.

The two women who had accompanied Mokuba unwrapped their bundles and produced aprons for him and Isis. Uncertain, she allowed the women to help her into the apron.

"What is going on?" She asked with audible concern.

"We're going to make ichigo daifuku!"

"What is that?"

"Don't worry, you're gonna love it."

The cooks cleared space, handing Mokuba and Isis the ingredients they had been preparing when they walked in, and moved on to preparing lunch. Isis simply stared at the foreign ingredients in front of her for a while, completely overwhelmed. Suddenly she felt a nudge on her side and looked over at Mokuba. His smile was bright and reassuring. She smiled back wearily, not wanting to let him down.

"Are we ready Miss Ishtar?" Said the woman who helped her put on the apron. "I'm going to walk you through it."

Isis smiled relieved, giggling off her nervousness. "Yes, I'm ready. Where do I start?"

Time went by quickly as Isis listened and followed the direction of the servant woman. Although the ingredients were foreign to her, she was comfortable using them. She realized that she knew how to operate the kitchen appliances, though she had no memory of ever using them before. All the while Mokuba looked on, smiling at her and offering assistance from time to time.

When the daifuku was finished, a robust maid shuffled them out of the kitchen and settled them down at the table where a small lunch was set for them. Not long after they sat down, Isis heard the main door open followed by distant chatter. Heavy footsteps echoed across the floor.

"Nii-san?" Mokuba called out from his seat. A few moments later, Kaiba entered the dining room, looking as apathetic as ever. "Nii-san, why are you home so early?"

"It was a slow day."

"Oh, you wanted to check up on Ishizu, huh? I told you I could take care of her." Mokuba said smugly. Kaiba didn't answer but rolled his eyes.

"I'll be in my office."

"Seto! You didn't even say hello to Ishizu yet." There was a silence as the two exchanged awkward glances. Isis nodded towards him in acknowledgment. Mokuba seemed unaffected. "Come have lunch with us."

"I've already eaten." Kaiba replied, walking out of the dining room.

"But Ishizu made ichigo daifuku."

Kaiba suddenly stopped upon hearing those words. He turned around slowly with a curious look in his eyes. He looked at Isis for a while then turned back around.

"I don't like sweets."

"Come on! It's daifuku! Remember? Please?"

Isis didn't understand why, but for some reason, Kaiba turned back around and walked back into the dining room. She wished she understood what was going on.

"Sit next to Ishizu" Mokuba added with a look of triumph. Kaiba took a seat next to Isis, looking uncomfortable.

A few minutes later, three of the cooks emerged from the kitchen, each holding a plate with single pastry on it. The cooks placed the plates in font of them, bowed and exited as quickly as they had entered. Isis looked at the small white bun that she had made, unsure of how to eat it. She looked over at Mokuba, who has already picked his up and taken a large bite out of it. Kaiba adjusted his napkin.

Slowly, Isis followed Mokuba's lead and took a small bite. The textures felt off in her mouth but she liked the taste of it. Isis took another larger bite, then another. She stole another glance at Kaiba, who had pulled out a knife and cut his clean in half. Expertly, Kaiba cut out a small piece of the pastry with a fork and knife and placed the small piece into his mouth.

She couldn't tell from his expression whether he liked it or not. He appeared to be in deep thought. He cut another small piece and hesitated before placing it in his mouth.

"Cool huh?" Mokuba said to his brother. "It tastes the same". Mokuba finished off the last of his daifuku. "She even knew how all the appliances worked. Li didn't have to show her."

"That's great Mokuba." Kaiba wiped his mouth on the napkin and put his fork and knife down. "It really tastes exactly the same." With that Kaiba picked up his plate and offered it Mokuba, who took the other, uneaten, half of his dessert. Kaiba then offered the plate to Isis, who hesitantly took the eaten half.

_Ishizu feels jittery walking through the doorway. The weight of the container in her hand feels doubled. As she walks into the common room, she sees Mokuba sitting on the couch alone. She notices his pained expression when he looks up and only sees her standing there. Ishizu takes in a breath and takes a seat by his side. _

"_Your brother is very sorry that he cannot make it tonight."_

"_It's no problem, it's just school stuff. I kinda knew he wouldn't be able to."_

_Ishizu knows he's disappointed and wants to help him. She remembers the container, and opens it up. All that is left of hers and Seto's lunch is the dessert she couldn't get him to eat much of. Ishizu hands the uneaten half to Mokuba._

"_Here, your brother saved this for you. Eat up, we need to get going."_

"_Where?" Mokuba asks, taking a bite of the pastry. "And why doesn't he ever eat all of it? It's delicious."_

"_It's still Parent's Night, isn't it? Did you think we weren't going?" Ishizu ruffles his hair and takes a bite of the other half of the pastry. "We'll just have to tell Seto all the details when we get home."_

"_Really? You'd really come to Parent's Night?" Mokuba looks at Ishizu touched._

"_Of course. I may not be your mother and Seto may not be your father but I still feel as though we are a family. Don't you?"_

"_Yeah." Mokuba smiles. "We are a family, aren't we?" Mokuba takes a look at his dessert. "And every time we have ichigo daifuku, we can be reminded of that."_

"_But your brother wont eat it." Ishizu laughs. _

"_More for us."_

"Ishizu? Ishizu, are you ok?" Mokuba said, leaning across the table. Isis emerged from within her own head in time to see Mokuba's big, concerned face right in front of her. She jumped, startled.

"Is this crying business going to be a daily thing with you now?" Kaiba asked with a bored expression.

"I was not – oh…" Isis wiped her face and realized that there were tears running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I just… Sitting together like this, eating this… It feels like we're a family." Isis focused her attention towards Mokuba and smiled. "Doesn't it?"

Mokuba's smile could have lit up the entire room but Kaiba still looked uncomfortable. He stood up and placed his napkin on the table.

"Well you two keep playing house. I'll be in my office." With that, Kaiba left the room and Isis felt loneliness creep back into her heart with his absence, worse than ever. She was remembering things. She was remembering the mansion, and food, and Mokuba. But as much as she wanted to, Isis still couldn't remember Seto Kaiba at all.

* * *

_**Something a little more lighthearted before some serious past trauma begins to emerge. Get ready.  
**_

_**As always, Read and Review.**_


	6. Better Off Forgotten

_**Sorry it took so long! Enjoy...**_

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Chapter 6: Better Off Forgotten

One Month Later….

Isis remembered a lot of things in the month that she stayed in the Kaiba mansion. She could remember where she worked, who she worked with, who she liked and didn't like. She could remember the food she liked to eat, and what food she didn't. She remembered which foods calmed her down, what she enjoyed cooking and the route to Mokuba's school. In essence, Isis could remember everything about her life to function normally, but had no memories of Seto Kaiba, the man she'd been living with for a month, nor did she have any clue how she got from her tomb to Japan.

From what Kaiba told her, she was chasing after Malik. Apparently, he'd gone crazy for a while and run away. Isis had no memory of any such event but took his word for it. The thought disturbed her though.

To better explain what was going on, Kaiba took time off of work to take Isis to see a psychologist after much prompting from the specialist that treated her after her surgery. Kaiba seemed agitated, sitting in the office. He wanted answers. He looked at the time every few minutes as Isis hesitantly, then more freely, detailed her last memories and what she had remembered in the past month.

With the time up, Isis stood and shook hands with the psychologist, unsure if whether their time there had been at all productive, but his smile was warm and reassuring.

"Mr. Kaiba, might I have a word with you in private?" The psychologist asked before they had a chance to leave. Isis shot Kaiba a nervous look, which he dismissed before sending her out of the office and closing the door.

"Is there a problem?" Kaiba asked.

"Mr. Kaiba, I'm not one hundred percent certain of this but I believe I know why Miss Ishizu is having this problem." He said, motioning for Kaiba to take a seat. "In my professional opinion, Miss Ishizu is in a prime state to receive memories. She wants to remember, which is half the battle."

"So why can't she? She can remember things we did together but doesn't remember me?"

"I believe Miss Ishtar has suffered some kind of major trauma."

"No shit, she got hit by a car. Trauma."

"What I mean is something that she has kept repressed deep in her subconscious. When Miss Ishtar had her accident, her mind retreated to a point before this event happened, and as a defensive mechanism, will not allow her to relive that trauma."

"So what does this have to do with me?"

"I don't know Mr. Kaiba but somehow, whatever this trauma is, it's connected to her memories of you. Her relationship with you, her feelings for you, how the two of you first met; Miss Ishizu has subconsciously tied all that together with something very distressing in her past."

"Great."

"These memories could surface again at any time, it might take years."

"Years? Are you serious?"

"There is another way. Some patients respond to hypnosis. Through hypnosis we can help her to recall those memories that her subconscious mind has repressed…"

"But…?"

"I may be out of line but, some things are better left forgotten. If I'm correct, if Miss Ishtar did experience a major traumatic event, something that caused her that much pain…"

"Then you're saying she's better off never remembering who I am? That she'll remember everything else about her life but all her memories of us will just be gone? That's better for her?"

"A young couple like yourself can always make new memories. If she fell in love with you once, I think she'll fall in love with you again." The psychologist flashed a knowing smile. "I think she already likes you."

"Yeah no kidding."

"Well think about it, have Miss Ishtar think about it. I hope to see you again next week?"

"Maybe." Kaiba stood and left the room even more agitated than before. Like a storm, Kaiba rushed through the door, not waiting for the confused Isis to catch up. During the car ride back home, Kaiba brooded. How could that guy even have the nerve to say something like that, he thought.

Isis desperately wanted to ask him what was wrong but decided it was best not to bother him. She could only imagine what he was going through. It was difficult living with a man she couldn't remember, but to live with someone who you cared about and to have all these memories together, but the person can't remember any of it… In any case, Isis decided it was best not to pry.

Mokuba was gone when the two returned to the mansion. He'd left for America for the week, deciding that the Western Branch, especially Kaibaland, needed his particular expertise. It was also a good excuse to get Isis and his brother alone for a while. Isis was not much of a fan of the arrangement. She'd gotten used to crawling into bed with Mokuba at night.

He was sweet, and small, on the precipice of manhood; the way Malik was the last time she remembered him. The older brother was intimidating and very much a man. Their first night together, she'd come to his room because she knew of nowhere else to go and she was scared. With Mokuba gone, Isis was determined to get through the night on her own. As the day dragged on, Kaiba and Isis engaged each other very little; Isis choosing to entertain herself outside and in her room, Kaiba choosing to brood in his office.

As night fell, and the majority of the servants went home, the Kaiba estate reverberated in numbing silence. Isis stayed in her room, sitting stiffly on the bed for longer than she could remember, desperately wanting to familiarize herself with the room, until a sudden knock at the door shook her from her meditative state.

Before she had a chance to answer, Kaiba walked in with something in his hand.

"Good evening."

"Yeah." Was Kaiba's only response. He familiarly took a seat beside her on the bed. Isis couldn't help her immediate instinct to scoot away, giving off more of an impression of fear rather than a casual desire for more personal space. Kaiba pretended not to notice, like he was attempting to do a lot the past month. "Are you going to be ok here by yourself?"

Isis was noticeably taken aback by his consideration. "I think so. I'll be alright."

"Mokuba warns me that you whine in your sleep sometimes, like you're having nightmares."

"Did he? Well…"

"It's not like I wasn't aware. You used to before."

"Oh…"

"I always just found it somewhat annoying but after everything that's happened…" And suddenly there was silence, a common occurrence during the past month. In an effort to leave the awkward situation, Kaiba handed her a small white walkie talkie. Isis looked at it confused as to its purpose.

"What is this?"

"Baby monitor."

"I assume this is used on babies then? To monitor them?"

"That's it in a nutshell."

"I _am _older than you, you know."

"Come back and say that to me when you actually believe it." Isis gave a somewhat disgruntled pout and suddenly something amazing happened.

Kaiba laughed! Not so much a full laugh but a half chuckle, which was the most she'd ever seen of him. The feeling made Isis blush, an event that didn't go unnoticed. Kaiba's face immediately returned to its former state.

"So," Kaiba continued, "this one is for your room, and there's a receiver in my room so if something happens in here I'll be able to hear it. If it's serious I'll come over."

"That's very considerate of you, thank you." There was another agonizing moment of silence, leaving Isis to wonder when the man would take his leave for the night. Instead he sat there, looking at her for a while. "I'll be alright. Really…. Is there something else wrong?"

"Do you _want_ to remember me?

"Excuse me?"

"The doctor said that you're blocking out things. Trauma. That's why you don't want to remember me."

"But, I do want to remember you!" Isis scratched her head in frustration. "It's very difficult for me, living here, knowing this place but not knowing you in it."

"You sure about that?"

"Yes, of course."

Kaiba stood. "Good. Tomorrow I'll call the doctor and set something up."

"What do you mean? Set what up?"

"Hypnosis. To unlock your memories."

"You really believe in that? In the power of hypnosis?" Isis smirked.

"Says the woman who believes in destiny and fortunetelling and magic." Kaiba retorted with a snide grin. "See you in the morning." He gave a slight bow, turned, and left Isis to sit in the dark room, absorbing this new information.

She placed the baby monitor on the stand beside her bed and changed, all the while wondering what could have possibly happened that was so traumatic. Her life, or at least what she knew of it, was no picnic. She lived her entire life underground, living amongst the dead, the only fresh air and coming from small vents high above her head. The closest she ever came to the surface was the uppermost level of the tomb, where just enough light filtered through to grow some of their food. She had lived her entire life knowing that she'd never know love and would die a slow and painful death. These things she knew for certain. So what could have possibly happened to her?

The more she thought about it, the more horrible scenarios popped in to her head. Did one of the other tombkeepers follow through with their plans for her? Or worse, her father? Was she beaten, tortured, did she get trapped in the room where they kept all the bodies? What happened to her?

Isis forced herself to stop thinking as she crawled into bed. She suddenly dreaded waking up in the morning. Kaiba was right. Although she wanted to remember who her "husband" was, she didn't want to remember whatever her body forcibly forgot.

Isis lay in bed, awake, not wanting sleep to take over, fearing that she would open her eyes and it would be morning. She stared at the baby monitor longingly. One part of her wanted to voice her fear aloud so Kaiba could hear it. On the other hand though, she feared what his reaction would be if she tried such a thing.

She didn't know for how long she'd been staring at the glowing red light of the baby monitor, lost in her thoughts, before she started to drift off…

_Isis lays in bed staring at the glowing red spot of blood that has become steadily more visible through the bandages on Malik's back. Though most of his back has healed, a few of the carvings from his recent tomb keeper's initiation still bleed freely. Isis shuffles in closer to her baby brother and lightly touches the red spot, then some bare skin on his shoulder. He is still recovering from a fever but feels much cooler now._

_Malik jerks away violently, much to her distress. Isis notices the change in Malik's personality and she worries. She embraces him gently. Malik again tries to jerk away but Isis holds on to him tighter and doesn't let up until he stops. When he does, Isis leans in and kisses the back of his head, breathing in the smell of his hair. In this moment, she can recall all the nights, holding him as a child. She has watched him grow. She had been, for a few blissful years, his mother, her love and concern for him exceeded that of a sibling, she had raised Malik. His pain hurts her too._

"_Stop it sister." Malik says with an annoyed tone._

"_Why Malik? What's wrong?"_

"_Nothing. It's none of your concern. Just stop." Malik attempts to shift further away from her, but Isis doesn't let up._

"_Please talk to me, little brother. You know I hate seeing you like this."_

"_You really want to know?" Malik has the hint of something vicious in his voice._

"_Yes."_

"_There's no point in letting you comfort me anymore. I'm not a child anymore, I'm a man now, officially, and you're not my mother anymore. Pretty soon you wont be my sister either. You won't be anything. Just a memory. And I'll be stuck down here alone waiting for a Pharaoh who's never going to come," _

"_Malik?"_

"_So there's no point in allowing you to comfort me. I need to get used to comforting myself."_

"_I don't understand…"_

_The door of their room opens and a large, domineering figure lurks into the room. Isis recognizes the man as both the source of her most terrifying nightmares and as the man responsible for hers and Malik's mother's death._

"_Hello Father." Malik greets the dangerous looking man with hatred._

"_Is something the matter?" Isis asks, sitting up. Without a word, their father walks towards the bed, his every step causes a shiver of fear to race up and down her spine. He grabs her roughly by the arm and starts to pull her from the bed. Isis pulls back, confused and afraid but it does little to help. She reaches for Malik with her free hand, but Malik makes no movement to help her. Over and over, her father yanks on her arm, dragging her from the bed until she is sliding across the floor. _

_With one motion he pulls her arm up, and brings Isis to her feet. Afraid, Isis still pushes back, trying to run away. She stops only after her father grabs her by the hair and forces her restraint. _

"_How dare you try to hit me, girl." Her father still has a tight grip on her hair when he tosses her in the direction of the doorway. "Go into the woman's chamber and get dressed."_

"_I don't understand." Isis says through tears of pain, rubbing her scalp."_

"_That's where the wedding dress is. It shouldn't have moved since your mother and I got married."_

"_Wedding dress?"_

"_Are you deaf? Yes. Go put on that dress, you're getting married today."_

"_I'm… what? No! To who?"_

"_Don't be naïve, Isis. You know the law. It's our duty, the Ishtar Clan's duty, to await the Pharaoh's return. Malik needs a son. You are the only one who can provide that for him."_

_Isis stops, speechless. Though she had always known, somewhere in the back of her mind that this day was approaching, somehow she always hoped that her father and the other tombkeepers would spare her and kidnap some girls from the surface. Anything, rather than force this marriage. She knew it was a fleeting hope, but it had been the only hope she had. Now her hopes are dashed._

_Desperately, Isis tries to think of something, anything, to put off this wedding or change her father's mind, but she comes up blank. She looks over at Malik. She wants to see his disgust, an outcry, a look of defiance. What she sees instead, is defeat Malik lay on the bed in the same position he was when she was there beside him, his arms crossed defensively across his chest, his eyes shut tightly. He fights back angry tears. His hatred, disbelief, and hopelessness are etched deep in his features._

_In this moment, Isis feels ashamed. Although she is the older sibling, and at one point his mother, Isis realizes that she has been depending on Malik to save her from her situation. As she looks at Malik's face, she realizes that he is in no position to help, and she must rectify the situation as best she can. Isis suddenly stops pulling from her father's grasp and breaths deeply. Once she has controlled herself, her father loosens his grasp on her._

"_Malik." Isis calls to her little brother. He doesn't respond. "Malik, please." She tries again more softly. Slowly he raises his eyes to look at her, They are red and crusted over. "I'm going to get dressed now… Don't worry, I'll always be here for you… Everything will be alright, we'll be just fine…" She forces a smile but no matter how hard she tries she cannot stop her body from shaking in fear. _

Isis was still staring at the tiny red light on the baby monitor. She didn't know if she dozed off or what, but the memory felt very real. Isis ran a hand across her arms and could feel goosebumps. She was shaking and felt afraid of something.

Outside it was still very dark, with no indication the sun would be rising anytime soon. Isis felt stuck, dreading the idea of hypnosis the next day but afraid to fall asleep again, lest she remember more. Stuck in limbo, Isis felt helpless and small.

She touched her cheeks and realized her face was wet. Isis cursed herself. She hated that she was constantly crying. Crying solved nothing, she knew that, but for some reason she couldn't stop. She'd always been that way.

There was no warning when Kaiba entered the room. He looked tired and grumpy but still concerned. Isis looked at him, too confused to say anything, as he approached the bed and sat down.

"So, what did you have a nightmare? I thought you were sixteen, not six."

"Huh?" Isis asked, still confused as ever.

"You were crying." Kaiba tapped the baby monitor. "I could hear you."

"I'm fine, really."

"No, you're not. If you were, I wouldn't be out of bed. If it really is nothing, you'd better lie and make up something." There was silence for a while, Kaiba's expression never changing. Finally, Isis spoke up.

"I've been remembering things…" Isis felt her skin prickle.

"Anything about me?"

"No." Isis shook her head sadly. "Things from before I came here. Back when I was still at home." There was a tight knot in her stomach. She didn't want to ask what she was about to ask, but she needed to. "Is it ok if I don't try the hypnosis? … I… I don't think I want to remember anymore… I'm sorry."

The expression on Kaiba's face was one of shock at first and slowly turned into begrudging acceptance. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing already."

"I really am though. I want to remember you. I want to remember for myself because… yeah but… anyway, I just wanted to. Are you angry?"

"Did you want an honest answer?"

"Are you going to make me leave?"

"I would think you'd be happier that way."

"I don't want to leave. I like it here. I have good memories here." Kaiba didn't respond and Isis couldn't help but feel bad. By now, she realized, it seemed she was basically using him for his house, but that wasn't the case. Isis was reluctant to leave Kaiba behind.

All her life, Isis wished that she'd be able to fall in love. Somehow, she had accomplished that. She'd found her man of destiny. Even though she couldn't remember it, she didn't want to give that up. Isis propped herself up on the bed and, in a very bold act, embraced him awkwardly from the back.

"Um…"

"What are you doing?" Kaiba asked. He sounded almost bored.

"Are you still angry?

"No, not really."

"So I can stay with you?" She asked hopefully. Kaiba sighed. "We could get to know each other again. Make new memories."

"That's not the issue. You're behavior. You act like a very different person. You're immature."

"So you don't like me at all anymore?" Isis asked heartbroken. She finally released her embrace, embarrassed and devastated. Kaiba noticed. He was used to being an ass to the "old" Ishizu. Now he just felt bad. She was sensitive now, and unlike other people, he cared that she was sensitive.

Kaiba made a move as though to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder but stopped. It was still really awkward; amnesia or no amnesia. Instead, he grabbed her firmly by both shoulders and pushed her down on the bed.

Isis was surprised by the move but she wasn't frightened. Her emotions were jumbled. She didn't really know what she was feeling but fear wasn't one of them. From her old life, the life she could remember, this was supposed to be a very scary position, but the fear didn't translate.

"Do you know what muscle memory is?" Kaiba asked. His voice was different.

"No."

"Memory doesn't exist only in the brain. Every cell in your body remembers. There've even been accounts of people who receive organ donations having memories that aren't theirs. They crave pumpkin even though they've never eaten it before… or they have feelings for someone they've never met before. In your case, you remember how to get to a job you don't remember having, you remember how to use appliances you don't remember seeing before, you can still speak Japanese and Arabic, and English even if you cant remember learning them.

"In essence, even though you can't remember here" He said, touching her temple, "you still remember everywhere else." Kaiba ran his fingers across her lips, down her neck, shoulders, up and down her right arm. Isis trembled; excitement and nervousness building up ready to explode. He straddled her, resembling an animal about to pounce. "THAT is what muscle memory is."

"… Oh… Ok." Was her fuzzy minded response. "So, does that mean you do like me a little or…"

"Would you like to know what your muscles remember about me?"

For the second time that night, Isis saw Kaiba's smile, this one much different than the last.

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**_The dark secrets of Isis' past are just beginning to come to light. Read and Review._**


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